William i



M. HEINA.

' JOURNAL 0R AXLE BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-201 1920.

Reisgued Mar. 8, 1921.

UNITED sT'ArEs' PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. HEINA, OF NEW YORK, Y., ASSIGNOR TO JOHN PLAT'I, OF..WESTFIELD,

. NEW JERSEY.

JOURNAL OR AXLE BEARING.

Specification cf Reissued Letters Patent. lleis u d M 8 1921.

Original No. 1,288,581, dated December 24, 1918, Serial No. 205,774, filed December 6, 1917. Application for reissue filed August 20, 1920. Serial No. 405,361.

To all whom it concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM M. HEINA,

a citizen of the United states, and a residentv of the city of New York, in the county of' New York and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Journal or Axle Bearing, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to journal or axle 10 bearings and has particular reference to bearings of the smooth or plain type as distinguished from so-called anti-friction or roller bearings.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a bearing construction that is as "nearly frictionless as it is possible to make a bearing in whichthere is sliding contact between adjacent parts.

' Another object of the invention is to provide a, bearing having maximum strength for the purposeof reslsting or'supporting either end thrust or lateral loads, whereby the bearing is adapted for use in such places as railwaycar or locomotive journals, steering knuckles of heavy motor trucks, or the like, where so-called anti-friction roller bearings are subjected to crushing strains. In ot er words I aim to provide a lbearing of maximum strength and very little friction,

if any, without any possibility of such breakage as is so likely to disable a bearing of the roller bearing type.

\ -A further object of the invention is to provide a 'ournal or axle bearing including a multiplicity of relatively movable elementsso arranged for relativerotation' around a common axis and movable relatively toone .p

lateral and thrust functlons of the. improvementI show my improved bearing as being another in such a manner that the relatively hi h angular speed between the wheel and 0 ax e for-example is reduced or equalized among all of the several elements of the bearbetween no adjacent two of which the re a tive angular velocity can be excessive. Another object of the'invention is to pro I vide a bearing of the plain or smooth type in which there are a multiplicity of coaxial bearing elements one, of which 18 relatively stationary another of which is connected to the high tel-mediate p urality movement each-to each'jso that a,relat1vely high an ar velocityof the rotating part is practica ly equally divided among the contacting surfaces of each ad acent. pair of bearingelements. f

two relatively rotatable members.

5 eed moving art, and the in- V l are. rec for relative.

' ment and,combination of partshereinafter described and claimed,and while the invention'is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a pr'actical embodiment thereof reference is had to 7b theaccompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts" in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section a of one form of my invention shown as applied to a wheel and steering knuckle of a motor car, this form of the invention typifying the combined lateral and thrust bearing features above referred to.

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of another form of my improvement; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section of I the same on the line 3-3.

Referring nowmore particularly to Fig. 1 1-I show at- 10-' and 11 relatively stationary and rotary members the same being indi- Y cated as an axle and wheel hub, respectively,

but with respect to the particular members it is to be understood that'my improvement is adapted for use in connection with any For the urpose, however, of typifying the combined duplicated in opposite ends of the hub so as not only to adapt the improvement to this particularuse, but also to provide a grease space or chamber between the two bearings.

j As above premisedeach bearing cogstru'ction includes a multiplicity of coaxial smooth 1 00 faced bearing elements shown in this in-' stance as five in number, the innermost element 12 being fitted or otherwise carried upon the axle 10 a ainst a shoulder 13 and hence held 'norma y from rotation. The 106 outermost element' 14. is likewise fitted against a shoulder 15 near the inner end of the hub. The elements 16, 17 and 18 constitute a plurality of loose smooth faced elements interposed between the innermost material Will be in contact.

outermost elements 12 and 14, each of the intermediate elements being free to rotate independently ofeither element on either side thereof. These coaxial annular bearing elements. are formed of material thickness and henceare strong and rigid and able to withstand all reasonable service and re sist any force or pressure applied'thereto from any direction. While I am not to be restricted in the scope of this specification to any particular materials I prefer to form the bearing elements. of" different materials so that no two adjacent elements of the same For example the elements 12, 14, and 17, may be of steel, while the elements 16 and 18 sandwiched between them may be of bronze or some other suitable bearing metal.

As indicated the intermediate elements 16,

17 and are each in the form of a hollow frustum of acone, the wall of each ofwhich is preferably of uniformthickness. In other words the innerand theouter, surfaces of each element are parallel and for the best service for'lateral and thrust purposes'the geometric elements of each bearing element are all arranged, both on the inner and the outer surfaces, at approximately forty-five degrees to the axis of-theshaft or axle. Ar-

ran edas thus indicated there is little or no ten ency for theadjacent or contacting sur faces of adjacent elements to bind orwedge when subjected to pressure from any direc- .tion. Furthermore, by making the intermediate orshell elements each of uniform thickness throughout, said elements are much better adapted for interchange or interfitting at the time of assemblage or reassemblage of the bearings.,,

The Various elements of each bearing assemblage are shorter in extent with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft as the distance thereof increases from the center of the shaft. It follows from this construe tion that while the radius increases, the bearing surface remains approximately the same by reason of the fact that the inner elements are provided with longer or wider bearing surfaces. Considering an inner wider bearing surface, for instance, as S and an outer bearing surface, as 8, while the mean larger radius is represented by R and the mean smaller radius as 7f, the foregoing fact of construction may be stated in the form of a proportion as follows: Sz snR; 1-. From this it will appear thatwith the several pairs of contacting surfaces approximately equal and subjected 'to equal strains or. forces, the actual friction -on the several pairs of surfaces ought to be equal. There fore, whlle the element 14 carried by the hub may be cons1dere'd as havin a high relative speed'of rotation around t e axle, the "element 18 adjacent thereto willfihave a-lower' speed of rotation due tothe drag or retarda- 'tion incident to the next inner element 17.

In other words it may be stated as a principle that any element free to rotate independently of all of the others will have a relatively. low disparity of speed with respect to either element adjacent'thereto on either side thereof even though one of the elements may have a very highabsolute rate of speed. It follows, therefore, thatin bearings subjected to thousands of revolutions per minute as is true in modern high speed engines I am able to produce a smooth bearing adapted to so subdivide or distribute the bearing speed among the several elements as, v

to practically offset any tendency to excessive heating and disability of the bearing. I will point out also as a subsidiary feature .of the construction that the wider innerelements of the structure tend'to produce the maximum strength in proportion to the amount of material employed in the assemblage. In other words the innermost element 12 may be regarded as a wide base upon which upper or outer elements are built or supported.

The bearing structure at the outer end of thehub is essentially. the same as has already been described and hence the corre sponding elements are similarly indicated although the structure is slightly smaller. The innermost element12' while not presumed to rotateupon the axle is yet movable longitudinally thereof under the force of the adjustment nut 19 cooperating with the outer endof the axle in any usual or approved manner for the purpose of holding the wheel in place on the axle and maintain ity of relatively free elements 16',-17 and 18 are arranged and constructed substantially as heretofore explained in connection the direction of inclination of the eometric elements opposite to that of the rst mentioned bearing. It will be noted that a space V I 20 is provided between the two hearing assemblages which maybe filledor partially filled with any suitable grease or lubricant of such a nature as to be carried therein for the purpose of lubricating all of the bearing surfaces indicated. a

Figs. 2and 3 illustrate'the same general arrangement in which? there are a multiplicity of coaxial bearing elements 21, '22,? 23, 24 and 25 illu'strated,,the same corresponding'br'oadly tothe elements 12 to 18 ..respectively of the othertype, that is to say, each outer element has a narrower orlshorter j bearing surface the extent of which is in-i versely proportional approximately to the varying radius thereof'from the axis'of the 1 system. The type of bearing now referred with the other endof the hub, with, however,

' ing the proper adjustment of the bearing elements each to each. The outermost element 14 is fitted in the outer end of the hub against a shoulder 15 and the intermediate pluralto is strictly for resisting radial loads or pressures and hence it is not designed to resist end thrusts. Any suitable means, however, such as guards 26 may be carried by any element such as 22 to prevent the loose \intermediate elements from'becoming displaced accidentally. I claim:

1. The herein described shaft or axle bears ing, the same comprising a multiplicity of rigid annular members arranged for relatlve rotation around a common axis, each member having movable-contact with thenext adjacent member, and each two contacting members being of different materials.

2. In a shaft or axle bearing, the combination with two members between which there is relative rotation at .high speed, of a multiplicity .of bearmg elements interposed between said members, one element being se cured to one of said members while the element at the opposite end of the series is secured to the other member, and the remaining elements being free to rotate with respect ,to one another and the first and last elements whereby the aforesaid high speed between the members is distributed equally among the several pairs of contacting bearing surfaces of all of the multiplicity of elements.

3. The combination with an axle and a wheel mounted for relative rotation around the axis thereof at high speed, of a series of annular bearing elements interposed between the axle and the wheel, one of said elements being carried by the axle, another being carried by the wheel, and a plurality of said elements being interposed between the axle and wheel elements and adapted for free rotation with relation to one another and the axle and wheel members, whereby the high speed of rotation of one member with respect to the other issubdivided and reduced as between any two adjacent contactin bearin elements.

4. 1% a shai or axle bearing, the combination with an axle and a wheel between which there is high speed of relative rotation, of a multiplicity of coaxial smooth/ faced bearing elements interposed between the axle and the wheel, one of the elements being carried by the axle, another of the elements being carried by the wheel, and a plurality'of the elements being arranged be- 5 the axis and the extent or area of contact surface at each-pair beingapproximately equal to that of any other pair. 6. The herein described shaft or axle faced coaxial bearing elements, the several pairs of contacting surfaces between adjacent elements being at progressively greater distances from the axis of the shaft toward the outermost element, while the length of the bearing surface parallel to the axis is progressively greater toward the innermost element.

7. The herein described axle or shaft bearing comprising a multiplicity of coaxial bearing elements of different radii, the several elements being so constructed and designed that the wear incident to the bearing will be substantially equally distributed among all pairs of contact surfaces.

8. In a bearing, thecombination with two members, of a multiplicity of bearing elements interposed between said members, said bearing comprising a multiplicity of smooth members rotating relatively to each other, I

and said elements being arranged to distribute the relative rotational speed of said two members substantially equally among the several pairs ofcontacting bearing surfaces of the bearing elements.

9. In a combinedlateral and thrust bear-- ing, the combination, with the relatively stationary and rotary members each carrying a unitar combined lateral and thrust bearing sur ace, of a plurality of intermediate annular coaxial bearing elements having unitary combined lateral and thrust bearing surfaces of different radii, said elements being arranged to move between the respective bearing surfaces carried by the stationary and rotary members and to transmit lateral and thrust loads on the rotary member to. the stationary member.

10. Ina combined lateral and thrust bearing, the combination, with the relatively stationary and rotary members each carrying a unitar. combined lateral and thrust bear- ,ing sur ace, of a plurality of intermediate annular coaxial bearing elements having unitary combined lateral and thrust surfaces of different radii arranged to support lateral and thrust pressure, said elements being arranged to move between the respective bearing surfaces carried by the stationary and rotary members and to transmit lateral and thrust loads on therotarymember to the stationary member, the total lengths vof the respective bearing surfaces, measured in the direction of the axis of the rotary member,

decreasing with increase of'the respective distances of such bearing surfaces from such axis.

11. In a combined lateral and thrust bear ing, the combination, with the relatively stationary and rotary bearing surfaces, of a plurality of intermediate annular coaxial bearingtelements navmembers carrying coned ing coned bearingv surfaces of difi'erent radii, said elements being arrangedto move be: tween the respective coned bearing surfaces carried by the stationary and rotary members and to transmit lateral and thrust loads on the rotary member to the stationary member. 12. In a combined lateral andthrust bearing, the combination, with the relatively Sta tionary and rotary members carrying coned bearing surfaces, of a plurality of intermediate annular coaxial bearing elements havlng coned bearing surfaces of dlfferent radii, 7

said elements being arranged to move between the respective coned bearing surfaces carried by the stationary and rotary members and to transmit lateral and thrust loads on the rotary member to the stationary mem her, all the coned bearing surfaces having an angle of substantially 45 relative to the axis. 1

13. In a combined'lateral and thrust hear ing, the combination, with the relatively'sta-v tionary and rotary members each carrying V tween the sets. I

a pair of oppositely sloped coned bearing surfaces, of a lurality of intermediate annular coaxial caring elements having two setsof conedibearing surfaces of di erent radii, the slope of the coned surfaces of one races set being opposite to thatof the other set, 1

.said elements being arranged to move between the respective coned bearing surfaces carried by the stationary and rotary members and to transmit lateral and thrust loads in either direction on the rotary member to the stationary member.

14:. In a combined lateral and thrust bearing, the combination with the relativelystationary and rotary members, each carrying apair of oppositely "sloped coned bearing surfaces, (if two sets of intermediate annular coaxlal bearing elements having ,coned hear ing surfaces of different radii, the slope of the coned surfaces of one set being opposite to that of the other set, said elements being arranged to move between the respective coned bearing surfaces carried by the sta-' tionary and rotary members and to transmit lateral and thrust loads ineither direction on the rotary member to the stationary member, 7, the two sets of bearing elements being spaced 3 apart to "form a chamber for In witness whereof'l my hand andseal,

'IWI-[LLIAIM M. HEINA; a 5.

have hereunto set lubricant be 

